Speaking on the occasion, the Chief Minister said this bridge would ensure better connectivity between the Seraj and Drang areas. This would be the state's first cable-stayed bridge that would be completed in two years.

The bridge will be constructed at a cost of Rs 15.85 crore.

Meanwhile, Member of Parliament Ram Sawroop Sharma thanked the Chief Minister for persuading the Union Railways Minister to upgrade the Pathankot-Jogindernagar railway line.

The 165-km-long rail track from Pathankot in Punjab to Jogindernagar in Mandi district of Himachal Pradesh was once proposed to be declared a Unesco heritage site.

The British had laid the Pathankot-Jogindernagar line in 1932, linking the prominent religious towns of Kangra and Mandi districts of the hill state.

Each year, a large number of tourists ride the trains on the line to take in the scenic beauty of the Himalayas.